Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Sing, Unburied, Sing

This book is lyrical and is so full of issues to unpack. The characters are rich and fully developed, with a real sense of connection. The book has JoJo at the heart but it builds the world of the living and the dead in a powerful way. I would love to read Kayla’s coming of age story. I would also read a whole book about the unburied dead, those who died without peace, and their life straddling the spirit world and the land of living.

I think I loved its strong sense of place most and what it means to belong is threaded throughout. The natural elements and how it ties to the theme of nature vs. nurture was extremely impactful. The idea that nature heals and the importance of a balanced ecosystem is paralleled with the importance of a balanced internal world. I could read this over again.

This intergenerational saga is also key - this novel really brings Southern rural black life to light in a way I haven’t seen before, while exploring the theme of multiracial children and how they find their place in that backdrop.

The descriptions are dynamic: they made me sad and made me hopeful and taught me some perspective on common themes. The dynamic of struggle in relationships and the emotions people feel but don’t speak are laid out for examination.

It was a good read, deserving of all the praise heaped on it. Why are you still reading this? Go get your hands on it and read it!

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kglynch's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

very beautifully written and a very interesting family story; a little too slow for my taste and i really disliked michael and leonie as characters

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mikeebeth's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mscalls's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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simonamiller's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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karingforbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5. This book was well done and dealt with a lot of important themes in the U.S., namely racism and all that entails. It did a good job with relationships and weaving them together in a way that isn't the traditional "perfect" family. However, there was inconsistency with the writing of dialect; sometimes they would sound very Southern and sometimes they sounded like they were speaking educated English. Also, there were too many POVs for my taste; I didn't think we needed Richie's, or Michael's. They didn't add anything to the story that couldn't have been told from Jojo's or Leonie's.

2021: I got more from it and caught more nuance than I did three years ago. I like the motif of water and food and how those play out, even if I haven’t solidified my thoughts of what they mean yet. Richie is just sort of there; he’s a big piece of the story but one I don’t understand. Still 3.5 for me

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